Kelly: Takeaways from Dolphins Training Camp (Practice 4)
Sunday’s practice was a perfect example of the back and forth that should take place on a football team during training camp.
On Friday, the Miami Dolphins defense embarrassed the offense, taking them to the woodshed with a 12-sack performance that was a failure across the board.
On Sunday, a day after Saturday’s break, the Dolphins offense delivered on two deep passes, and scored at will in the early red zone periods.
The performance, which was the team’s first in front of fans, wasn’t clean. Miami’s offense struggled some during the final red zone session, but it showed there’s give and take.
I’ve covered plenty of Dolphins teams where there was only take, with rare exceptions of the offense giving it to the defense.
McDaniel's team hasn't been dominated by one side of the ball during practice so far.
In fairness to the defense, this was Miami’s first practice in front of fans, and the organization is wise enough to not show too much, and give the fans what they want.
We didn’t see any blitzes like the defense showered the offense with Friday. But I did see a couple of zone beaters, which are plays McDaniel and other NFL play-callers will call to beat Vic Fangio’s cloud coverage zone.
Speaking of Fangio, he’s the focal point of my first takeaway from Sunday’s practice.
1. Fangio’s defense is complex
I’ve watched football practices on a college and professional level every year of my life since 1997 and have seen just about every offense and defense there is except one.
I’ve never seen anything like Fangio’s scheme. While some teams might run zone every once in a while, I can’t remember one where it is their base, and everything else is built off it.
I’ve covered 3-4 schemes before, but none like what Fangio is seemingly building in Miami.
My point? Every day I’m seeing something I’ve never seen, and learning something about football. I’ve actually consulted outside coaches (friends) I know to explain things coverage wise to me.
Fangio’s scheme is complex, and the beauty of it is that everything looks the same, but it isn’t. If what I’m seeing sticks, the Dolphins are going to force plenty of quarterbacks to make mistakes.
That explains why Fangio’s defenses — either as a head coach or defensive coordinator — typically lead the NFL in turnovers created. Interestingly, the Dolphins offense has committed only two turnovers since camp started, and only one of them was an interception.
2. De’Von Achane shines on red zone run
The former Texas A&M standout produced what I’d consider his first impressive run of training camp when he outsprinted the entire defense and squeezed into the end zone for his first touchdown run on a 11-on-11 drive that started inside the 7-yard line.
It was a left side run that illustrated that 4.32 speed, and will clearly motivate Miami’s coaches to give Achane a test drive in the goal-line packages.
After practice, Achane talked about how he’s taking things as they come during his rookie season. On deck will be his first padded practice, which is when the volume gets turned up on the sport’s physicality. I don’t know if it’s going to happen on day one of pads, or day two, but I’m anxiously anticipating LBer vs. RB 1-on-1 protection drills. That’s where we learn if Achane has what it takes to pass-protect in the NFL.
3. Is Liam Eichenberg O-line's weakest link?
I watched one-on-one O-line vs. D-line drills closely Sunday and even though it was a non-padded practice, there was one player whose struggles caught my attention.
Every player wins reps, and every player loses reps. I become concerned when the losses drastically outweigh the wins. That was the case with Liam Eichenberg, the projected starting left guard. A couple of Dolphins defensive linemen put him on skates, pushing him deep into the make believe pocket.
I don’t expect Eichenberg to consistently win against Raekwon Davis or Christian Wilkins, but my hope is that he’d hold his own. That wasn’t the case Sunday.
Monday’s padded practice will provide a better evaluation, but at this point Eichenberg might hold the distinction of being the O-line’s weakest link.
That’s why it’s a good thing Isaiah Wynn has finally been cleared to practice.
4. Tight ends have been invisible
The Dolphins are seemingly de-emphasizing tight ends, and considering how many other weapons they have on the team, this is easy to justify.
However, I expected the group to show a pulse during a red zone day.
That wasn’t the case. They were all non-factors Sunday. In fact, at this rate, Alec Ingold might be playing 200 more snaps this season.
Ingold, who played 418 offensive snaps last year, has been killing it in practice. The 20-yard touchdown catch Ingold scored on the first 11-on-11 series for Tagovailoa was mostly run-after-catch yardage.
As for the tight end batch, Elijah Higgins moves a lot slower than I expected from a former Stanford receiver. Maybe he’s put on weight for his new role as a blocker, but the Dolphins’ 2022 sixth-round pick looked like he was wearing ankle weights during Sunday’s practice.
5. Dolphins shopping for cornerback-to-safety converts
Bobby McCain was the first Dolphins cornerback I ever saw be converted to safety. Miami saw his cornerback range, physicality as a nickel, and his overall intellect and felt he’d be the ideal free safety for Brian Flores’ defense.
And now the Dolphins have a couple of former cornerbacks being tested out as safeties.
Elijah Campbell was converted to safety last season. A similar conversion was supposedly on the agenda for Trill Williams, but hasn’t happened yet. And there’s another cornerback on the roster I witnessed playing safety Sunday. I won’t mention who because it would violate rules the Dolphins give reporters, but considering that player had previously shown he has a nose for the ball, I’m curious to see if this experiment sticks.
